


ambience

by TheLadyConstellation



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, Ben and Rey get the ending they deserve, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Visions, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage, Married Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Morning Sickness, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Pregnancy, Pregnant Rey (Star Wars), Protective Ben Solo, Reylo - Freeform, Soft Ben Solo, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, cottagecore vibes, tw:vomit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27360472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyConstellation/pseuds/TheLadyConstellation
Summary: Exegol tore them apart, but it also brought Ben and Rey together where they belong. Recovery is a long process and time has passed. They search for the right place to call home, deciding on the beautiful planet of Naboo. Their homeland, one could say. They've finally found a home, one with each other in it. Padme's old lake home, a vegetable garden, and neighborhood school create the ambience of their life. But something is amis, a disturbance. Almost... an awakening.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 25
Kudos: 71





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! I am so happy to be publishing something I am proud of. I felt that there was a lacking of this *specific* kind of reylo fluff so here I am! Many chapters to come, love you all already. 
> 
> Just a note: Italics represent flashback scenes :)

The sky on Naboo was calm with a hazy mist in the air. The sunrise was a dusty pink in the sky. Rey stirred first, her husband is still asleep next to her. Her eyes fluttered open. Their french doors were open, letting the sunlight in. She saw the beautiful balcony where they were married, just a few months ago. 

The stone railing and luscious greenery brought back so many memories for Rey. Of course their wedding, but also the earlier moments. After The Battle of Exegol and their extensive times of healing, they retreated to the planet of Ben’s ancestry. This was what they decided on, as it filled both of their wants for a home. For Rey, somewhere green with lots of water, and for Ben, somewhere peaceful and secluded. But the most important was that they were together. They realized how precious their bond was during the healing period at the resistance base. They shared a room, talking for hours about _everything_. Their childhood, their fears, their hopes, and everything in between. Nothing barred them anymore. They didn’t have to fear anyone from their respective side seeing them or hearing them. 

When they were finally cleared and given a clean bill of health, they still couldn’t leave. There was still so much to do to get the First Order truly out of power. Well, Ben was technically still the Supreme Leader. And his last act as Supreme leader was to dismantle the order completely, creating a new republic. This new republic would have multiple leaders from every planet. He promised a new, peaceful resolution and assured the galaxy that he had changed and wouldn’t take a leadership position. He didn’t even consider running for office until Rey mentioned it. Though that was far after they moved. 

It was five months after the battle when Rey and Ben finally had the opportunity to move away. They talked for a while, discussing a couple of different locations, though their hearts set on Naboo the moment Ben brought it up. 

  
  


_“How about Naboo? I think I have citizenship there,” Ben said. Rey gave him a side-eye._

_“How in Kriff would you have citizenship on Naboo?” Ben twirled a piece of his hair, sighing._

_“Something about being a family member of a former royal, it’s nothing.” She sat down, putting down the star chart._

_“Since when are you a royal? I know your mother was adopted by the royal family of Alderaan, but this?” Rey gesticulated her surprise._

_“In all honesty, I didn’t know until I was older. I knew about the whole Alderaan bit, but other than that…”_

_“You’re stalling,” Rey said. Ben sighed._

_“You know how my grandfather is Anakin Skywalker,” Ben said. Rey nodded._

_“Not like you were obsessed with him or anything…” He rolled his eyes._

_“Well, he was secretly married to the former queen of Naboo, my grandmother. Padme Amidala Nabierre Skywalker.”_

_“That’s- that’s a lot of names,” Rey said, somewhat stunned._

_“Well, she was born as Padme Nabierre but was given the regal name Amidala when she was elected. And the Skywalker bit…”_

_“Yeah,” Rey said, understanding. But still, it’s a little crazy that your boyfriend doesn’t tell you these things. Though he’s not a big fan of talking about his family._

_“I think we’ve found the place,” Rey blurted. Ben sat down next to her._

_“Are you sure?” he said, holding her hand. She nodded through tears. This means so much. They are finally, finally moving away. Going to a home that is theirs._

  
  


“Good morning,” Ben whispered, his voice rough and husky as he awoke. He stroked her cheek. He noticed that her eyes were a thousand parsecs away“What are you thinking about?” 

“Our first day here,” Rey replied. Ben sighed, with happiness of course. “And our awkward meeting with the city.” He snorted, remembering that, for lack of better words, embarrassment. 

_“The city- it’s so beautiful,” Ben said._

_“You’ve never been here before?” Rey said. She was pretty surprised that Leia never took him to the place of their roots._

_“No, I don’t think Luke and Mom knew who their mother was for a long time. It was 3po who told them I believe.”_

_“3PO?”_

_“Yeah, he was here. When they got married.” Rey laughed, interlocking hands with Ben as they walked into the courtyard of the Theed Palace._

_“Are you sure these documents can prove citizenship?” She looked at the documents. It was Leia’s original birth certificate, buried in the records of the medical center where she and Luke were born, hidden under so many firewalls. Of course, there was no father listed._

_“Probably, though I don’t know how they will react when they find out that the late queen has grandchildren, most thought the child died with her.” He looked upon the building, wondering of the events that would happen inside._

_“I guess it’s now or never,” Rey said. Ben nodded and they walked on in. They were first met by the woman at the desk._

_“Hello, I would like to speak to someone about citizenship.” The receptionist was very young, almost a teenager. She replied with a very monotone question._

_“Are you refugees of the first order?” Ben shook his head. He tried to open his mouth, but she interrupted again._

_“Are you any kind of refugee?”_

_“No, I have documents. I believe they give me the right to citizenship.” The girl looked annoyed._

_“Okay, you’re going to want to talk to Emil, he’s just through that door.” She pointed. Rey smiled. They went together into Emil’s office. Inside the door was an older man, writing some things down._

_“Hello?” Ben said. The man closed his notebook._

_“Can I help you?”_

_“Are you Emil? The girl at the desk said we should come here about immigration. We’re not refugees, by the way,” Rey said._

_“Oh? Most people that immigrate are refugees.”_

_“Well, I believe I have a birthright to citizenship.” He took a deep breath and put the papers on the table. Emil picked up the envelope, opened it, and squinted._

_“This is your mother’s birth certificate?” The man asked in disbelief. Ben nodded._

_“Is your mother still alive? Leia Organa?” Ben shook his head. He took a deep breath before telling him the news._

_“She passed away recently.”_

_“That’s unfortunate, you know to me she’s royalty.” Ben smiled, remembering his mother. The memories were always bitter to him, something he regrets._

_“Speaking of, I would look at the listed mother,” Ben said. Emil put his eyeglass up to his eye and inspected the document again. His eyes widened._

_“She-” His eyes widened, the glasses falling off of his nose. Ben nodded._

_“Yes, she gave birth. The babies survived. Padme Amidala gave birth to twins before she died just after. One of which is my mother.” Emil got up abruptly and went to his bookshelf. He put his glasses back on his nose as he scoured his library. He huffed a sound when he pulled out a book that was totally covered._

_“The Empire tried to destroy all of the copies,” he said, putting a book on the table. It was old, very old. Though it was only around sixty years old, it looked to be thousands due to the way it had been stored._

_On the cover was a photo of a woman, her face painted white, her lips painted red with two symmetrical dots also painted red._

_“Is this her?” Ben asked, the man nodded._

_“You are quite a specimen, sir, almost a spitting image. Well, her without the makeup.” Ben sighed, he was not exactly in the mood for an old man to call him attractive._

_Their conversation was just dying, Ben staring at the book unsure of whether to read it or not. Step clunk step, step clunk step. The sound echoed as it neared the office._

_“Emil? Is someone in your office?” The woman’s voice became known._

_“Sabe_ _, please I’m helping someone right now- I’m very sorry, she’s senile and lives at the palace.” Despite Emil’s pleading, Sabe entered the room. Ben turned his head, looking at her._

_“The maker! Your eyes!” Ben physically moved back. The old lady almost ran to him. Rey put her hand on Ben’s shoulder. “You have her eyes…” her voice drifted as she teared up. Her hand went to his cheek and then to her pocket. She pulled out a key._

_“Padme’s lake home, it is yours now.” Sabe placed the key on Ben’s hand._

_“And you.” She pointed to Rey. “I see your eyes, they belong here. You come from here.”_

_“Okay, can you help us_ _find_ _this house?” Rey said. She nodded._

_“Alright, then let’s go,” Ben said._

  
  


They reminisce on Sabe’s anecdotes, sharing memories of a woman they will never know. 

“We really need to get up, there are things to do,” Rey said. Ben groaned, tightening his grip around her. His lips met her neck, his hands beginning to explore. His nimble fingers traced their way up her nightdress. She winced. Ben could feel her discomfort. 

“What’s wrong?” He backed away, his hands retreated to her cheek, touching her gently. 

“Nothing, just tender. Probably going on that time.” Ben chuckled. He leaned in to kiss her. She swung herself out of bed, going to the wardrobe right away before Ben could grab her again. She pulled out a dress, something that she would have never worn on Jakku. A knee-length lilac dress, light and flowy. Compared to some of the other dresses that were in the home when they arrived, this is nothing. She put on a white apron over top, at least while she went into the garden. Then her boots. 

She turned and saw Ben, still not dressed. She wondered how his disdain for mornings worked while he was in the First Order. Rey rolled her eyes, throwing an outfit at Ben. He put on the cotton ensemble, barely able to keep his hands off of Rey. 

“You have lessons to make, and I need to harvest.” She kissed him on the cheek, sending him off. She laughed as he went into the study. 

Ben and Rey took over the village school, teaching the children. And they have for a while now. Not just force-sensitive kids either. All kids, and a lot of the kids from the children’s home that know them like family. 

Of course, Rey was asked to do at least something in the new galactic senate. But it wasn’t for her. She wanted to be ‘retired’ with Ben, or their definition of retired. And their definition of retired is just working a different job, and not fighting battles. That one’s important. 

Rey picked up her basket, finally leaving the home. To the side of their house is the garden. They grow a variety of vegetables and fruits here. Most of them are native to Naboo. For Rey just seeing this life grow here and then being able to eat something so sweet, it was nearly unthinkable. But now she grows a bountiful harvest, keeping a quarter, giving half to the orphanage, and selling the rest. 

Rey waters and weeds, letting her mind wander. While she harvests, she thinks about the island, Luke, the people there. She thinks of Leia,and how much she misses her. 

Before she could let her mind wander any further, she reached the end of the crops. Rey looked down into her basket and saw the bountiful harvest, ready to be taken to the orphanage. She smiled, taking off the apron. She didn’t sweat, even though it was considered summer on Naboo. On Jakku this would have been a nice cool day. She brought the basket inside. 

“Looks like it’s a good day,” he said. Rey took some of the produce out of the basket and kept it in the kitchen. 

“You want to come along? The kids miss you.” She slid her hand in Ben’s, trying to convince him. 

“Alright, but only because I miss my friends,” Rey snorted. It’s not a surprise that when they first moved here the kids weren’t so fond of Ben. Though now, the kids love to use his strong shoulders for bantha back rides. 

Rey swept a piece of Ben’s hair back, toeing up for a quick kiss. “Then we better get going.” He smiled. They left their home and went on the path by the river. 

“Something feels different,” Ben said. Rey looked at him, puzzled. 

“What do you mean?” She truly had no idea what he could be talking about. 

“In our dyad, something just feels different.” Rey shrugged. Neither of them knew what this energy could be. 

“Probably just coming on with something. Anytime you get sick, I feel awful.” 

“Maybe,” Ben said, truly stumped. Usually if one of them gets sick or anxious, the other feels it. Something of a sharing, so neither of them are truly in deep pain. 

They continued walking for about five minutes before the children’s home came into view. They saw the little children of all races, playing outside. The first one to see them, a little togruta child, Emika, ran up to Rey and hugged her. 

“Did you bring us veggies, Miss Rey?” She smiled and showed Emika the contents of her basket, including some of the child’s favorites. She smiled and ran off. The matron greeted the couple. 

“We have some new additions here if you would like to meet them,” she said. Emika was practically hanging onto Rey. 

“Guess what!” She finally said. Rey squatted down to her level. 

“What?” 

“I got a forever family, I’m moving out!” Rey smiled, picking up the child. “Miss Matron said they signed the papers and everything!” Rey and Ben smiled wide, so happy for the child to have a home. 

The matron took them up to the nursery where a new infant was lying in a cot. 

“Would you like to hold her?” Matron said to Ben. He looked scared. 

“I’d-rather not, I’m sorry.” Ben backed up from the infant. Rey, on the other hand, loves children. There weren’t many babies in Niima Outpost, so she went right away to scoop the baby in her arms. 

“Does he have a name?” Rey asked. The matron shook her head. 

“He won’t be here long. Human babies go fast.” Rey rocked the baby, holding his finger. 

“You sure you don’t want to hold him Ben?” Rey walked towards her husband, showing him the tiny little thing. He backed up again. 

“I’m just not that fond of babies, it’s nothing.” 

“You teach children.” 

“Fair point, it- it’s just you know the babies that the first order took away.” _oh._

“It’s in the past, and you didn’t sign that law. Snoke did.” Ben’s face was still low, and Rey frowned. She bounced the baby, trying to get a smile out of him. 

“I think it’s about time we go home,” Rey said, putting the baby back in his crib. Ben was fast to grab her hand. Rey smiled, waving to the matron before leaving with Ben. 

They walked home in silence. 

“What was that back there?” She said. Ben looked down. 

“What was what?” 

“Back there, I’ve never seen you so uncomfortable with kids! You’re a teacher!” She didn’t realize she had raised her voice. Ben winced and started walking away, limping.

“Ben, I’m sorry, what’s wrong?” 

“It’s just my bad leg, I’m going to rest it.” He pulled his cane over with his hand extended. Rey heard him walk away with two steps and a clunk. She sat down, her hands going to her face. Her leg started cramping, a usual occurrence when Ben started hurting. The pain wasn't just in her leg this time, but in other places too. She imagined her regular monthly pain but worse. Some sort of punishment from their bond, she assumed. 

She sat there for longer than she knew she should have. She finally went into their bedroom after thinking for far too long. She leaned by the doorframe, seeing Ben sitting on their bed. 

“Can I come in?” She said. Ben nodded. She came and sat on their bed. She looked down to see him rubbing his leg, the one that was most injured on Exegol.

“That must hurt, I’m going to get some bacta.” She got up once again, going to the refresher to grab some patches and gel. “Here,” she said, putting a couple of patches on his bad spots then going to rub the gel all over his leg. Through the force, she said _I’m sorry_ , she hoped he got the message. Ben was still looking away, almost refusing to lock eyes with Rey while she massaged the gel on his injury. Once the medicine was fully spread she sat up and looked Ben in the eyes. Her hand inched closer to his, not daring to touch him. A sigh escaped her lips. 

“Ben, really I am sorry. I know we talked about kids before. I shouldn’t have gotten mad just because you weren’t comfortable with an orphan baby.” She touched his shoulder and stroked his face to calm him. 

“It’s okay, Rey. You know… When I see those orphans, especially the human ones… It makes me think of what Snoke told me, and what Hux and Phasma told me. They would go out to community orphanages just like this and _adopt_ those kids in droves. They took them to their camps where they did who knows what.” He started crying halfway through his sentence. She held him. 

“It’ll get better. Remember when we first left Exegol and you couldn’t look a resistance soldier in the eyes. When you were having nightmares every night and day. This- feels like a drop in the bucket compared to that.” 

“I want to have kids with you, Rey. I want to be a dad that shows this galaxy that I have changed.” He buried his face in Rey’s hair. She kissed his face, covering him in love. He put his hand on her stomach, something that he does, similar to on Exegol. 

“I love you so much, Ben,” she said, bringing her hand to his curls. His hand rubbed her stomach, no longer wounded. But while they held each other, he _felt something_. He couldn’t decipher what it was, but the memory stuck in the back of his mind. 

“Here, it’s getting late.” She pulled the blanket back and they got into bed, still no space between them. They didn’t have to say what was wrong, they could feel it. Rey knew that Ben felt like he had let her down because of how he reacted. Rey was upset because for a moment she thought he didn’t want kids. Ben felt that. He felt how he hurt her. 

“I want to have kids with you, Rey. I don’t care how hard it will be. I want this, remember that.” He interlaced his fingers with hers as they gazed on the balcony. That night they reflected on their wedding together, later talking about their plan. Because really, their future kid is going to be fucked genetically. Being the son or daughter of the force dyad, they will not enter into the world easily. After much discussion, the pair decided that now probably wasn’t the best time. They decided that they would start trying in a few years once they have recovered and fully settled into life together. That would be perfect. 


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben go to work at the neighborhood school and later their class for force-sensitive children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! I love seeing new reads, comments, and bookmarks so keep em coming. If you have any ideas for what Rey and Ben's life would look like I'm all ears to incorporate some of it 
> 
> much love -LC

By the time the sun was long gone and sleep had begun to come upon them, Rey and Ben barely even remembered that they were mad at eachother to begin with. Ben’s arms retreated around Rey, keeping her close. He would never let her go, not again. Sleep came quickly and silently, the overwhelming relief of rest overtaking the human senses once again. 

That night Rey dreamed of a face she didn’t know. This was not a new experience. She always had strange dreams usually of her parents, people she didn’t know. 

Sadly, monday awoke them rudely. And that meant school. When Rey’s eyes opened she was surprised to see that Ben was already awake and standing on their shared balcony. Smiling, she propped herself on her elbow. 

“Good morning, surprised to see you awake,” she said. Ben turned around from his sunrise gazing. He stilled. Rey’s brow furrowed at his expression. “What’s going on over there?” He relaxed, finally leaving the balcony. 

“Just meditating.” 

“On?” She asked. Ben smiled and came to sit down on the edge of the bed next to his wife.

“Oh nothing, just something in the bond I can’t quite decipher.” 

“What is it?” He looked distressed from her perspective.

“That’s the problem, I don’t know what it is. I’ve never felt something like this before.” 

“Hm, perhaps we will find out soon.” She smiled, swinging herself out of bed. She grabbed a plain dress from the wardrobe, a style she usually wears to work. 

“I always think you should wear something nicer to school. Like you wear around the city,” Rey chuckled and turned to roll her eyes at him. 

“Am I supposed to wear one of Padme’s dresses to teach the children? I would ruin them!” Ben shrugged. 

“I wouldn’t object, you look so beautiful in them.” Rey huffed. Ben moved to stand behind her. His hands began to wander. She put half of her hair up, leaving most down. “So beautiful,” he whispered behind her. He flicked his hand to stroke her face through the force. She put her hand to her cheek.  _ Not now Ben, we have to go.  _

_ No we don’t.  _ His hand slid further down, nearing her breasts. When he finally grazed them, barely touching, she winced. He backed off.

“What’s wrong?” He said. 

“Nothing, just a little sore. We really need to get going now.” She put a kiss on his cheek, then took his hand to walk to school. 

As per usual, some of the students were already there. 

“Good morning boys and girls!” They all perked up at the sight of Rey. Of course they still love Ben, but Rey is still their favorite. “Group A will be with Mr. Ben learning arithmetic, and Group B will have history with me!” Group B clapped, ready for another history lesson with Rey. Ben smiled at her before going to the curtain that separates the room down the center. 

“Alright class, please open your textbooks to section 2.” The children opened their books to a section about the separatists. 

“Alright, let’s start with some review. Who was the leader of the seperatist movement?” A handful of kids raised their hands immediately. She called on one of them.

“Nute Gunray!” She smiled at the enthusiasm her students had about ancient politics. 

“That’s right. And who were some of the jedi that fought the seperatsist army?” The kids yelled out some names. 

“Master Yoda!” “Mace Windu!” Enika was the one who mentioned he who shall not be named. 

“Anakin Skywalker!” 

“Yes! Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi fought a lot of battle droids in their time, along with Skywalker’s padawan Ahsoka Tano.” 

The lesson continued on, talking about various battles during the clone wars. Everything was going splendidly. Until a student asked a question that she did  not want to answer. 

“What about Master Skywalker’s secret lover?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Well we all know that he was with someone.” 

“And how do you know that?” Rey asked. 

“Well my baba told me that there were so many rumors back in the day about Anakin having a son.” 

“Well I am teaching history not old rumors of the rebellion.” 

“How did you know that they were from the rebellion?” The same child asked. Rey stopped the subject, going on to the homework assignment. 

Thankfully the second group wasn’t as nosy about old rumors. But the problem is, they obviously aren’t rumors. Anakin Skywalker  did have a secret lover, but Rey didn’t think that the children would ever guess that said lover was the queen of Naboo. Though this young one was indeed right about the child thing, though that's not something the kids would know. The fact that Padme’s children lived is a well guarded secret that no one really even knew up until Ben showed up. (All except for Sabe, though everyone believed that Padme’s death brought her to insanity and discredited her.) But that is the definition of a story for another day. 

Another hour and a half of school went by before the kids’ lunch break. They scattered through the field, enjoying their lunch in the beautiful landscape. Ben and Rey went to their usual spot, secluded by a brook. 

“Have you figured out what that weird feeling in the bond was?” Rey asked, mainly just trying to make conversation, but also out of curiosity. He shook his head.

“No, still very weird.” His hand was on Rey’s, his thumb slowly caressing her palm. 

“Do you feel it now?” He nodded.    
  


“It’s a constant feeling,” her lips scrunched together at his words. Usually if there were something that one of them didn’t understand, the other could figure it out. But this was truly an enigma. 

“You don’t think it’s-” 

“I really hope not.” Because of course there’s that sneaking suspicion that this feeling is that one of them is dying. That an illness has spread through one of them, and is eating their bond alive. 

His arm snaked to her waist. She buried her smile into his chest. He brushed his fingers through her hair.

“Everything will be alright,” he said with a kiss filled with love. 

But their moment of romance was all short lived, as the children’s lunch was over. The two returned to the school building, switched groups and covered other subjects. Rey, of course, loved teaching the children. Ben, on the other hand, wasn't quick to love them. The atrocities that he willingly oversaw in the training of stormtroopers. Ben knows what he did, and he wants to redeem himself. He found that the only way to redeem himself was to work with these children. Even just a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to teach these children. When he first stood in front of a group of children and taught them grammar and Basic script his mind went to the groups of children that the First Order stole from their parents. This was hard to get away from, of course, but now he loves all the children as if they were his own. 

It wasn’t long before the school day ended, but the day was not yet over for Ben and Rey. They still had another class to teach. Rey, Ben, and a group of around seven kids took the desks and pushed them to the walls. The children retreated into a circle on the floor. 

“Good afternoon, today we are going to practice meditating. Sit in the position most comfortable to you. Take some deep breaths. Feel the force moving through you,” Rey guided the children. They sat quietly with their eyes closed. Ben could tell that half of them weren’t totally in it. 

He came to these children and sat with them one by one. He guided them. “Imagine that you are in a room that is empty, there is no floor, no walls, and no ceiling. There are no windows. You are all that exists in this space. Stay there and think about the force that binds all of you together,” he said softly to the boy. His position shifted, his back straightening. Ben could feel the calm inside of him. He knew that his guidance had helped. 

Rey began to meditate as well. She took a deep breath. Her mind drifted to think of the nothingness. From there she moved to thinking about her family, and not just that of blood. She could see Finn and Poe in their new home in the Capital. Even when her eyes were closed she could see Ben glowing like a beacon. The force drew them together, bound them together. 

There it was. That feeling that Ben had been telling her about. Like a buzzing that was so insignificant it was hard to notice. But it was there. And she, just as her husband, had no idea what it was. 

“Miss Rey!” One of the children shouted. Rey was far too deep into her meditating that she didn’t notice the commotion, but Ben did. He looked up from helping another child to see Rey floating two feet off the ground. Ben smiled as he looked upon his wife in one of her most comfortable states. 

He spoke softly to the children, “you see here Miss Rey is completely in commune with the force. She is deep into her meditations. Don’t worry if this does not happen to you at first. It takes lots of time to master the skill of meditation.” 

“What if she falls?” One very concerned pupil expressed. 

“I’m sure she’ll be alright, but I’ll get her down.” Ben’s lips curled upwards when he pulled Rey down and held her as she awoke. 

“See, Miss Rey is just fine.” Rey looked up at him with puzzled eyes. 

“What?” She laughed. Ben gazed down on her for just a moment before catching himself. 

“You were floating,” he whispered. “The kids were concerned for you.” She gave a smirk before sitting up. 

“Alright, now that we are all distracted we are going to do some easy practice on lifting.” She got up swiftly and retrieved a few practice objects. They resembled rocks but were smooth and of varying sizes. Ben and Rey went around the room and gave each child a set. 

“Take one of the rocks and focus on it. Pay attention to nothing else but that. Put your hand out and imagine that an invisible hand is coming out and picking it up.” The children do exactly as they are asked. Rey and Ben do the same. Their experiences are different. When doing the exercise Ben remembers the first time he lifted something when he was a child just as the students are. He didn’t know he could do it. The small child was just sitting bored and accidentally lifted his toys into the air. Leia, of course, was overjoyed at her son’s newfound power. 

Rey’s story is obviously very, very different. But that story has already been told. 

They observe the children as they try to focus their attention on the task at hand. A few of them had already risen one of the blocks. One by one they achieved their goal. Not one failed. 

“Good job everyone, you have made a small step towards fully understanding the force,” Ben said. “Soon you will be strong enough to do this.” He put his hand out, facing Rey. A smile curled at his lips when he lifted her in the air. 

“Ben!” She shouted in surprise. “Put me down!” her surprise turned to amusement as she began to laugh. Her husband put her down gently. 

“A wise jedi once said that size is not important. We are all the same whether a tiny pebble or a five-foot-six person.” Rey smiled. The children were still giggling from Ben’s little display. “That will end our lesson for today. If your parents are alright with it, keep practicing your lifting skills. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Ben unconsciously smiled at his students. Their happiness was palpable throughout the room and Ben couldn’t help but smile. 

“Let’s go home,” Rey whispered, sliding her hand into his. He nodded and they took off from the little school. For a while, they simply walked, nothing spoken between them. It was Rey who said the first word. 

“The children are really improving,” she said. Ben nodded. 

“They are. I can sense their determination. They are proud of their hard work.” Rey nodded and smiled. Despite how much they love each other, both Ben and Rey love to spend their walks in silence. The ambiance of Naboo’s hillsides is far too calming to be ruined by conversation. That’s what their time at home is for anyway. And that time came far too soon when their lakehouse came into view. 

Their path, cobbled with stone, signaled to them the essence of home. The sound of shoes on the stone was such a familiar sound now. Rey knew that she needed to detach from her love so he could grab the keys out of his pockets. 

Their days were repetitive. And they loved it. Years of pain have made this repetition a calming embrace on its own. 

The warmth of home was welcome to them. Ben put their keys down on a table conveniently placed by the door. Shoes were removed next and set right in their spot by the door. 

“Are you cooking tonight, dear?” Rey asked in her ‘nice’ voice. Ben leaned against the kitchen counter, smiling at his wife. 

“Of course, when have I ever known you to be a chef?” Rey chuckled. 

“I could say the same for you. But anyway, what are we having?” She jumped up on a stool chair and leaned her head against her cheek. 

“Probably just some pasta and vegetables from the garden. The usual, you know,” he smiled back at her. Ben couldn’t help it, as he would say ‘I can’t help smiling at beauty.’ damn flirt. 

“I don’t care. If it’s made by your hands, it will be wonderful.” Rey’s hand came to undo her hair, causing it to fall over her shoulders. Meanwhile, Ben started to collect the vegetables for dinner. “Thank you for cooking,” she said as she pecked a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going outside to meditate,” she said before taking off to the balcony for some time alone with the force. 

She had a lot to meditate on anyway. The first thing that came to mind was this energy that her and Ben had been feeling. She focused on it and her mind went white. 

_ \-- _

_ “She’s beautiful,” Ben’s voice said. She couldn’t see him and his voice was distant. Rey tried to observe her surroundings, but most of it was dark. Her eyes felt like they were half-lidded. But she could see a bed, one that her legs were laying limp on.  _

_ “Well of course she is, she’s part you,” Rey’s voice said. She felt like she wasn’t the one saying the words. Almost like a ghost who was only observing the surroundings around her.  _

_ “I think she looks more like you,” he chuckled. The scene in front of her began to fade away. Before she returned to her world, she heard a noise. It was faint and she could hardly put her finger on it. Was that… a cry?  _

_ \-- _

Rey awoke drenched in sweat. Her chest heaved in hyperventilation. Legs rose from the ground and ran inside. Instincts took her into the bathroom where she fell to the ground and vomited, just barely making it inside the toilet. 

Her body fell onto the tile floor, limp and weak. She wanted to cry out, but her voice went silent. Eyes began to shut, and the world went gray. 

“Rey!” Ben shouted. Her eyes flickered open at the sound. But she was all too taken by weakness and her eyes closed again. “No, no! Come on open up.” He scooped his arm underneath her, bringing her into his grasp. “It’s okay, wake up.” A hand went to Rey’s cheek, stroking gently. Once again her eyes opened, this time meeting Ben’s. 

“There she is,” he said in his softest voice. “What happened?” 

“Tired,” she slurred. “Vision.” He nodded. His arms moved once again, now to keep her in his grasp while he stood. Ben limped while he carried his wife into their bedroom. He was in pain of course, but this was more important. Once he reached the bed he placed her down gently. 

“Rest now, my love. You need it,” he said. A kiss was given on her forehead and the covers were rested atop her. Ben began to leave the room but was stopped by a groan leaving Rey’s lips. 

“No...Stay.” He smiled for a moment, coming towards her again. This time he climbed in the bed with her. Ben’s arms retreated around her waist. He knew this was where she was safe. This was where he was safe too. 

And that was when she felt it. 


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets some rest after some turbulent meditation. Unfortunately, the surprises aren't quite done yet. But still, she's exhausted #reysoloneedsanap2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this chapter is a little shorter than the first two. This chapter serves as a bridge from the events of the end of chapter two (English much, lc?) to what's to come. nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy
> 
> much love,  
> lady constellation

That was when she felt it. A heartbeat. Like a feeling both inside and outside her body. A beating, a thunder. Her eyes shot open and her hand instinctively went to her abdomen. She didn’t know why but for a fleeting second she had a thought, a single word, a single idea.  _ Pregnant _ . But it passed like a gust of wind. She wanted to get up and do something about it, she wanted to tell her husband. But alas she was still exhausted and sleep overtook her. 

Rey’s eyes opened in a few hours. Her body had been fully rested, recovered from today's little incident. She rolled over and saw her husband’s side of the bed empty. Eyebrows raised, she sniffed the air. The smell was instantly recognizable. Ben’s cooking. A smile lifted across her lips. 

She swung her legs across the bed, standing up hesitantly to keep her strength. From there she walked wearily into the kitchen. 

“Smells good,” she said. Her voice was soft, as it almost always was when she was near Ben. There was a comfort about being near him, and there always has been. 

Ben turned around at the sound of his wife’s voice. His smile began to show as well. “Fried Zucchini, fresh from our backyard.” Rey beamed as she came closer to the cooking surface. 

“It looks delicious,” she said. Ben chuckled causing Rey to give a side-eye. 

“My darling you would think that anything was delicious. You didn’t know what real food was until you met me.” His hand went to her cheek where he stared deeply into her hazel eyes. He began to lean in, his lips coming teasingly close to Rey’s. She started to lean in as well. Their movements were almost in slow motion, but all at once, Rey’s demeanor changed. 

_ Thump, thump, thump, thump.  _

There it was again. The feeling turned to vision turned to sound. She hadn’t realized but she had backed away from Ben’s affection. 

“What’s wrong,” he asked. His hands went to her wrists, holding on gently. From his view her eyes were a million miles away. 

“Just… that feeling.” Ben’s hand raised to her forearm. 

“Do you know what it is? This… awakening?” His voice was cracking and tears pricked at his eyes. She knew what he meant. His fear was palpable. Rey could nearly hear the thoughts that he was thinking. But she didn’t need to feel too hard to understand what he was thinking. Ben thought that she was dying. He’s already seen her die once, that was enough. He couldn’t do it again. 

“I don’t…” she was lying, of course. Well, she didn’t know exactly what it was but there was the idea that came earlier. A baby. She wouldn’t dare utter it out loud until she was sure. But how would she be sure? Does the clinic offer some sort of pregnancy test? She looked back into Ben’s eyes and saw his worry once again. He looked away. 

“I’m sorry Rey, you know my worries. Maybe this is just a strengthening in our bond. Nothing more,” he said. His hand squeezed Rey’s once more before returning to his cooking. Rey looked away, then went to take a seat at their kitchen table. 

Ben carried the finished meal to the table, placing it in front of them. 

“Are you okay? You look distracted,” he said as they began to eat. Rey shrugged. 

“Nap brain,” she said. Another lie. She couldn’t focus at all. The only thing that her mind could focus on was the heartbeat ringing in her ears. The sound kept getting louder, so loud that it drowned out every noise. Even the sound of her husband trying to make small talk was like a whisper. 

They finished dinner in silence. Rey washed the dishes and retreated back to the balcony. She sat in front of the lowering sun with her legs crossed. What she wanted to do was hone in on the energy she was feeling, find out what it is, and go on from there. But her mind was divided. Part of her didn’t want to know, didn’t want to find out this soon. 

As soon as she sat down, she got up. _No, I’m not doing this now._ _I need to wait_. She took a deep breath and reentered the house. She was surprised to see her husband standing with a towel and in far more casual clothes. 

“There you are,” he said. Ben approached his wife, quickly putting his hands around her waist. Unconsciously, Rey’s head fell onto his chest. He pulled her close.

“Let’s go down to the lake. You look like you need it,” he said. His arm gently caressed hers. She nodded into the hug. “I would carry you, but unfortunately for you, your husband is an injured old man.” A smile shifted his lips as he force-pulled his walking cane over to him. 

“That’s okay, I still love you even if you can’t carry your bride for more than thirty seconds.” He chuckled back. She tiptoed up to peck a kiss on his cheek. “Let’s go,” she whispered. 

From there they took off on their short walk down to the coast. Their favorite spot was near a little shade tree where the temperature was just right. And it was only a few minutes of walking before they were sitting in the grass, Rey’s head resting peacefully on her husband. 

“I love you,” Ben whispered into her hair. “With all my heart,” he continued. His lips came upon her face with each phrase said. “With all my power,” he kissed her again. “Till death do us part,” he said with a final kiss to Rey’s plush lips. 

“I love you so much, Ben. More than you could ever know.” She went back to burying her face in Ben’s chest. “Thank you.” The words came out soft, almost inaudible. But Ben could hear her, he knew what she needed to say. 

After a few moments Rey disconnected from Ben. Her hand immediately went to his, but her feet went to the warm waters of the lake. 

The sun was beginning to set, and it’s dusk created a beautiful painting of colors in the Nubian sky. The Solo family looked upon it together. For just a moment, the deafening feeling inside of Rey almost felt natural. Like it was always meant to be there. Of course, she still wasn’t completely sure what it was. One thing is for sure, this feeling, this  _ force _ is alive and it’s beating heart isn’t stopping any time soon. 

But despite the sound of this beating heart filling Rey’s ears, the silence was a greater disturbance. Ever since she married Ben she couldn’t stand silence, not like she could on Jakku.  _ Think of something to say, Rey. But don’t bring up the fact that you might be pregnant, that’s a bad idea. _ She gave herself time to think, as Ben seemed totally content with watching the sunset beautifully in the sky above. 

In a moment of clarity, her memory replayed a moment from earlier in this same day. She almost giggled once she started telling her husband the story. 

“Did you hear one of my kids talking about ‘General Skywalker’s secret lover’ in history class today?” Rey said in a vain attempt to strike up a conversation. Ben snorted in laughter. 

“Really? I didn’t think those old rumors still went around.” He was still laughing, and so was she. 

“Apparently not. I tried to shut it down as quickly as possible.” Ben, still chuckling, pressed a loving kiss to the side of Rey’s face. 

“Well, in my opinion, some secrets are best kept.” 


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rey's predispositions are reconciled.

The next few days passed like a gust of wind, quickly but cold nonetheless. To her dismay, the constant banging inside her body did not cease. Her consciousness had been hijacked by a force that was not her own. 

By Thursday she was almost sure of it. There was life inside of her. Still, she had no idea how to get this confirmed in any way. She hasn’t meditated since Monday, and as far as she knows there is no home remedy to diagnose pregnancy. Of course she could go to the clinic, but then she would have to make an excuse to her husband for why she is going all the way into town alone. 

Just as she has been doing the past week, she waited. Not meditating and trying her very hardest not to think about it at all. But what is marriage if not a doorstop in all of her plans. 

“I’m still feeling that disturbance, in our bond. I figured it would have gone away by now, but it’s just getting stronger every day,” Ben said while they were eating breakfast. His knee bounced up and down below the kitchen table. Rey glanced away for a moment, turned back to Ben, and put another spoonful of porridge into her mouth. 

“Mm?” The noise that came out of Rey’s mouth was meant to be an inquisitive one, but just sounded wrong. Come on Solo, you can do better than this. You were a good liar once, you know. 

“You know the one I’ve been talking about since Sunday? It has just felt stronger the past day. Have you meditated on it at all?” Ben asked. Rey’s face flushed. 

“Nope,” she said a little too quickly to sound truthful. In yet another string of luck, Ben didn’t notice her fibs. He scooped another spoonful of porridge into his mouth, and while it still in his mouth he said,

“Well then I’m stumped. I think we should meditate later, after school.” 

“Oh, well I- I need to go to town after school,” she said. Her words were stuttered and nervous. 

“For what?” This time, Ben wasn’t so ignorant to her lies. 

“The- um- the shops. I need to pick up some more feminine products, you know.” Ben’s face flushed. The thing about marriage is that it comes with an insane amount of trust. The two of them, being great force users, could have the ability to sense someone’s lies. But neither of them use it on eachother. 

“Sorry, I worry that you’re keeping secrets from me sometimes. Maybe once you get home we’ll meditate together.” She smiled. Fuck, guess we’re going with plan B. 

“Of course,” she said, her voice now in that beautiful loving tone. Rey’s hand drifted to hold Ben’s. He smiled and gave her hand a soft squeeze. Full of love, but also full of fear. A one sided fear- someone may add- a fear that was only felt by Rey. And this fear was a crippling one. 

\--

That school day was no different from every other one. The children thankfully didn't make any interruptions, and the lessons went smoothly. Just as every other day, Ben and Rey at their lunches together by the stream. 

Rey was glad to know that there was no mentoring after school, and the moment lessons went out she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek before taking off toward town with her feet planted firmly. 

Most of her walks into town were spent basking in the beauty of the planet she chose to call home. Though she may never truly reconcile with the beauty of Naboo, today her mind was cluttered with thought. 

She knew what the doctor was going to tell her, she knew. But part of her needed some sort of medical confirmation to ease her fear. She couldn’t just tell Ben that she was pregnant if her only intuition was throwing up one time and strange force visions. 

The clinic was nearing. Her mind was scattered. No thoughts could connect as she walked down the lane. As she let herself go, her entire being was consumed by the beating heart of an unknown entity. Thump Thump Thump, it continued. Thump Thump Thump. 

“Could you quiet down for one minute!” She shouted, pointing to her stomach. The beating did not stop, but it seemed quieter for just a moment. A moment that happened to be long enough for her to notice the small village come into view. 

A few homes, an agora market, a general store, and the aforementioned clinic amongst other buildings. Rey’s stroll continued on for a few more minutes before the doorstep she had been fearing. After taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside. 

“Good afternoon! How can I help you today?” A friendly voice greeted her at the door. 

“Um- I don’t have an appointment, but- I-uh-I need to get a pregnancy test,” Rey stuttered. The receptionist’s smile did not father even though Rey was a blushing mess. 

“Right this way, dear,” she said. The nurse came out from behind her desk and led Rey into a small room with an attached restroom. 

“I’m going to guess that you’re human,” the nurse joked. Surprisingly, Rey cracked a smile for a moment. 

“That would be correct,” she replied. The nurse smiled once again before going into a drawer and collecting a cup and plain, unmarked box. She handed Rey the cup. 

“I’m going to need you to go into the washroom and do your business into this cup, you know what I mean?” She had to think for a moment before blushing and realizing what she had to do. 

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll be right back.” Suddenly she found the tiny cup resting in her hands. The next two minutes were probably the most uncomfortable two minutes since she had to sleep on a flat sheet of dirty metal on Jakku. And upon return the nurse was still standing there, ready to take her pee cup. 

“This is far grosser than I imagined it to be,” she said, handing off her sample. 

“Well, the miracle of life can be a little sickening at times. I’m just going to put the test in the sample. It will take a few moments to get the results.” The nurse placed a small stick into the cup. After that she sat silently in front of Rey. A shine glaring off of Rey’s hand gave the nurse some relief. 

“How long have you been married?” She asked in a desperate attempt to make small talk. 

“A little more than a year.” A smile crept upon Rey’s mouth as her mind once again reminded her of their wedding. The ceremony may have been small, but to them the most beautiful event they could have asked for. Rey and Ben saying their vows on Padme’s balcony, the place that Threepio says Ben’s grandparents were wedded, with Finn, Poe, the droids, Kaydel, Rose, Chewie, and Lando in attendance. They didn’t need anything fancy, they only needed each other. 

“I can see in your eyes that you love him,” she said. The nurse’s hand propped on her chin. She was totally invested at this point. 

“I really do, with all my heart,” Rey said in her beautiful accent. 

“What’s his name,” the other woman asked. Her tone was similar to that of a schoolgirl who was very curious about her friend’s love life. 

“Ben,” Rey said softly. The nurse’s eyes lit up. 

“Oh, that’s such a wonderful name. I wish I had a husband like yours. I don’t even know him and he seems like the most wonderful man! If only I had a husband with a name like Ben.” Rey was starting to get annoyed now. 

“Um-how long is this test supposed to take?” Rey asked. In a flurry, the nurse came back to reality. 

“Oh, I suppose the three minutes are done! Now or never I guess,” she said. She went back to the counter where the stick was resting in the cup. Giving the stick a few taps on the side along with a shake for good measure, she observed the results. 

“Congratulations! The test is positive so I guess I’ll be seeing a lot more of you in the next few months. I’ll let you keep this,” she handed the stick to her. The words were meant to be filled with excitement and congratulations, but to Rey, it seemed like white noise. Pregnant. Why was this such a shock when it was something she already knew? For days now she could feel the heart beating inside her. But something about this just made it feel real. 

“Thank you, I’ll- uh- be in contact,” Rey said. Her voice sounded distant, faded. The nurse smiled and waved, her peppy attitude still intact. She walked out the door and back onto the path home. 

Pregnant, she thought. A child was really growing inside her. Ben’s child, the Skywalker heir. A scary thought. Not to confuse a surprise with something unwanted. She wanted this child, but the thought that this child existed was utterly terrifying. Even more terrifying, she has to tell her husband. What is Ben going to say?

She stared down at the stick in her hand. A moment later she stuffed it into the pocket of her robes. 

“I guess you are really in there,” she whispered. Her hand drifted down to her stomach where she rested it gently. Rey couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change. An overwhelming feeling that the moment she walked through the door her lift would take a different turn swept through her. It took deep effort to shake the feeling as she approached her front door. 

“Hey sweetheart,” Ben said. He brought her into his arms the second she came in the door. It was a welcome embrace to be sure. “I know we said we would meditate together but I’m more in the mood for laying in bed with my love,” he said into the hug. They separated with Ben giving Rey a tender kiss. 

“That sounds perfect.”


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finally tells Ben her secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Sorry for the wait, three hour swim practice really does do a number on one's cognitive function! I hope you all enjoy this one, can't wait to read your comments! <3

Two days passed from the day Rey went to the clinic and she still hadn’t told Ben. Of course she felt terrible about it, but she just hadn’t found the right moment to tell him. And now she’s realized that there isn’t such a thing as a ‘right time’. That’s where we arrive today, the day that she is going to tell him. 

“Good morning darling,” Ben whispered in her ear. His hand traced up her side. At the sound of his voice she smiled and turned to face him in their bed. 

“Mmmh,” she hummed. He reached forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. A murmur was heard that sounded vaguely like I love you. 

“Do we have any great plans for this weekend?” Ben said, his voice husky with morning air. Rey’s face buried into her husband’s bare chest. 

“This,” she muttered. Vibrations echoed from the chest she lay on. He was laughing, oh how Rey loves his laugh. 

“You know I would love that, sweetheart,” he murmured in response. “But as much as I would, do you have any other ideas?” The light dance of his fingers tickled the back of her neck. Rey thought hard about this question which to Ben was insignificant. He was simply asking what she wanted to do today but to her, he was asking how she wanted to tell him the biggest news she would ever tell. 

“Maybe we could spend the day at the lake,” Rey said. Ben smiled and hummed. A girl after his heart. She knows how much he loves the lake. Before they were married the pair would spend every day down by the lake. They would meditate there, eat there, and one day Ben would get down on one knee and ask her to marry him there. It was safe to assume the lake was his favorite place. 

“You know me well, but this bed- this bed is a hard barganier. His voice was still muffled by the fact that Rey’s face was buried into his chest along with Ben’s arms around her. 

They stayed in that position for a while, longer than they anticipated for sure. The sun was staring them down, begging for them to finally rise. She knew they needed to get up, they both did. But Rey was stricken with thought. Things won’t be like this for very long, she thought. Soon enough we won’t be able to stay in bed like this. 

The thoughts were scary and persistent. She tried her hardest to shoo them away and instead focus on what she had now. Right now she had Ben, something she never thought she would have. She reminded herself that this is what she has, and she’ll always have this. And after that, the waves calmed again. 

A few more minutes passed, her in his arms. She knew that it was well past time they got up. 

“I have to pee,” she said. Ben huffed and pulled her closer. 

“Nope,” he said monotonically. Rey raised her face up to his level. 

“I thought you were the one who said that we couldn’t stay in bed all day,” Rey muttered. Ben huffed and released her. She got up reluctantly, even though she wanted to stay like this. But here, in this bed, was not where she was going to tell him. So she rolled out of bed and into the ‘fresher. 

There her morning sickness came quickly and painfully. Her small frame was hunched over the toilet, trying her very hardest not to make any noise. The last thing she wanted was Ben coming in and asking if she was okay. But thankfully, he didn’t hear any of what she was doing in here. 

“I guess you’re awake now too, little one,” she said, putting her hand gently on her stomach. Rey knew that there wouldn’t be any kicks for a while, but for days she has been feeling a new force signature inside her and that was enough for her. She surely didn’t need to feel any kicks to know that her child was there. 

The motions of her morning routine were performed just as it was a normal day. She splashed water on her face, did her business on the toilet, undressed, and put on a dressing gown. One last look in the mirror was given before leaving the washroom and reentering her’s and Ben’s bedroom. 

“Ah, there she is,” Ben said softly. He was with her in a second, his affections pouring out by the dozen. His lips upon her cheek as well as her neck, his hands upon her waist, and in a flash she was being spun around the room. 

“Ben! I’m in my dressing gown! Put me down!” Rey shouted when her husband joyfully hoisted her into the air. The strings on the gown began to unknot themselves as Rey squealed. Ben laughed openly before pressing a kiss to his wife’s forehead, cheek and finally lips. 

“I’ll get some food together. You get dressed,” he whispered, their foreheads still connected. Rey’s lips curled unconsciously at his voice, something she thought would go away as time passed. But to her surprise, her love for Ben has stood the test of time. 

Ben had left the room, leaving Rey to get dressed. She opened the wardrobe and plucked out one of her favorite blue dresses. She pulled the airy fabric over her body. Of course Rey knew that this outfit was a favorite of Ben’s, that’s why she picked it. Her husband loved the way the dress flows in the wind and how the tulle layer flounces when he picks her up and spins her around. This was what she wanted for today. A shiver ran through her at the realization that her world would change today. Ben’s world would shake today, and Rey had no idea how he would take the news. 

One last smooth down in the mirror, one last check of her hair, one last deep breath before stepping out of the bedroom. 

“Ready to go?” Ben said, holding up a picnic basket and blanket. Rey came over and intertwined her arm with his. He spun his cane around like a cinematic gentleman, rousing a laugh out of Rey as their feet hit pavement. 

Arm in arm they walked down the path to their favorite spot. It wasn’t a long walk at all, in just a matter of minutes their eyes set on their precious shade tree. 

Rey laid the blanket down on the soft grass, Ben put the picnic basket down and aside for a later time. Ben plopped down on the blanket, putting his cane aside and instead using his arm to hold Rey. 

“It’s so beautiful today,” he said looking out at the shining waters. Slowly his fingers began to intertwine with Rey’s. “Not as beautiful as you of course,” his lips grazed her cheek before leaving a loving peck. Rey’s hand cupped Ben’s cheek and she smiled. The energy within her danced when he touched her. 

Ben reached behind him and grabbed the basket. He opened the top and began to unpack the food. 

“Our feast,” Ben said. Rey smiled again this time reaching for a sandwich. Don’t eat too fast, she thought, you don’t want to throw up again. She began taking small bites with her mind completely drifting away from what she has to do today. 

“Delicious,” she said with a smile. Perhaps her pregnancy was making her more smiley, as this was far more than usual. 

“Of course it is, I made it,” Ben said with his usual snark. 

“I know…” A hand came to Ben’s cheek, pulling him in for a kiss which he accepted with a smirk. 

\--

An hour later they were cuddling underneath their tree, quietly basking in each other's presence. Ben could feel her breathing above him, slow and steady and perfect. Rey could hear his heartbeat from where she was lying. Everything was perfect. They could spend the whole day like this, just with each other. But that wasn’t something they could do. Ben, of course, would be totally in for a day of relaxing and doing nothing. 

“I wonder if the water’s warm today?” Rey said, desperately trying to make everything perfect. 

“I’m not exactly dressed for a soak,” Ben said reluctantly. 

“Just the toes my love.” she gave him a peck on the cheek before she removed her shoes. Her toes scurried across the grass, falling into the water gracefully. Just as Rey predicted, the water was delightfully warm. Ben followed behind her, dipping his bare feet in as well. 

Their hands explored the grass as they neared one another. Finally, they connected, Ben's hand atop his beloved’s. Once again they were in silence. 

“You were right, the water is warm,” Ben said. Rey’s feet were aimlessly twirling in the water. The silence quickly turned from sweet to painful and Ben could feel it thick. 

“How are things going with the children? Make any progress in their arithmetic-”

“Darling I need to tell you something,” Rey interrupted quickly. Ben turned to face her, his hand not moving from its position on her’s. 

“What is it?” His voice riddled with concern. Rey’s tone was far too urgent for this to be something of unimportance. 

“Ben I’m…” her voice drifted off for a moment, just a moment that’s all. But it was such a radical moment for her. This is it. She took a deep breath, mustering all the strength she could find. 

“Ben, I’m pregnant.” His eyes widened. 

“What?” His voice was airy, almost choked. 

“I’m pregnant.” She moved her hand to hold his to her chest. 

“Really?” Rey nodded with a tear beginning to run its way down her cheek. Ben’s hand instantly came to wipe it away. He looked into her eyes and once again painful silence sandwiched between them. 

“Ben I’m sorry, I know this isn’t what we planned-” Ben’s hand came to her cheek and cupping gently he interrupted her ramblings. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about. This-” his hand went to her stomach, “this is the most wonderful thing ever to happen to us. I love you so much, Rey.” His lips connected with her’s in a tearful kiss. 

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” The tears brimming at Rey’s eyes were fully spilling over now. She wrapped her arms around Ben. 

“You aren’t mad at all?” Rey asked.

“Why would I be. I’m going to be a father,” he said. Much to Rey’s surprise his voice was all happiness, not an ounce of fear. All there ever will be is love. And thankfully, there is enough love to give unto a third.


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's pregnancy starts to bring worry, but that's what Ben's for... right? Later, they find some secrets hidden away in the old lake house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the reads and comments! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!  
> -lc

Ben’s hand snaked around Rey’s waist. Her chest rose and fell gracefully as she slept. Ben himself only arose a few minutes ago. He loved mornings like this so very much, simply waking with his beloved. His limber hands drifted from Rey’s waist to her slim stomach. Quickly, he focused on her newest force signature. His eyes closed and his mind went solely to the small light inside of Rey. 

She stirred and immediately Ben detached. His hands returned to her waist, slowly and gently pulling her closer to him. Rey rolled into his arms, still asleep. From there his fingers went to her hair, clean and perfect, not a strand out of place. 

“So beautiful,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Once again she stirred, further burrowing herself into Ben’s chest. But this time, her eyes opened and she looked upon her husband with a smile. 

“Good morning,” She said. Her voice was groggy as anyone’s would be at this hour. Ben leaned in to kiss her plush lips. “How long have you been watching me?” 

“That doesn’t matter.” He kissed her again. 

“I suppose,” Rey replied with a smile. She gazed upon Ben, a specific breed of morning Ben. His hair was messy, his cheeks red, his eyes low, and his voice spattered with that ever so attractive husk. Quickly and without reserve, her smile faded and her back straightened to the headboard. Her hand flew to her mouth

“What’s wrong?” Ben said, sitting up next to her. 

  
“Must be the sickness,” she said weakly. Throughout her stomach she could feel the pain, riddling her with unbearable nausea. 

“Sickness?” Ben was concerned now, though when wasn’t he concerned for his wife? 

“For the past week I’ve thrown up at least once. A lady on Jakku told me that the sickness comes every morning.” Ben winced. 

“Darling, why didn’t you say anything to me?” Ben’s hand laid on her arm. 

“You know I hate to worry you, dear.” She stopped multiple times in between words to take deep breaths. Ben prepared to respond but before he got the chance, Rey jumped out of bed and ran into the washroom. He ran after her. 

“Oh Rey!” He shouted as his wife knelt by the toilet to heave out whatever her body could produce. Ben reached by her ears to grab her hair. There he held all the hair he could grab, trying to rub her back at the same time. 

Almost immediately after she finished vomiting, she fell back into Ben’s arms. Softly stroking her arms, he hummed a melody to her; a calming lullaby for his wife and child.

“It’s alright darling,” Ben said, reaching up to grab a washcloth from the sink. Slowly he wiped the sweat from Rey’s face. “It’s alright,” he whispered again. 

They sat together on the bathroom floor for quite some time, Rey leaning into her husband’s welcoming arms. 

“Can you stand?” Ben asked. Rey took his hand and nodded, standing up slowly. She grasped the counter for stability. Ben’s hand once again retreated to her waist, this time purely for safety. Once they reentered the bedroom, Ben sat her down on their bed. 

“You rest there for a moment, don’t want you disappearing on me.” He gave a quick kiss on the forehead before she slumped down into the bed. Ben left her for a moment as he went to the wardrobe to retrieve today’s wearings. He looked back almost immediately after leaving her side.

“Is there anything exciting on the agenda today, my love?” He asked, browsing the hanging clothing. Rey shifted into a position closer to sitting up. 

“Not much, gardening, cooking, laundry, general laziness,” she said, once again shifting. Ben chuckled. 

“That sounds perfectly delightful.” He removed two outfits and returned to the bed. “Figured I’d let you in something comfortable.” He put down a white tunic and grey pants, an outfit that gave them both remembrance of their past. Finally, Rey rose from the bed and began to dress. 

“Is the...sickness like this every morning?” Ben asked. Rey pulled her belt on before replying.

“No, it’s not always so severe. I’ve found it varies from day today. Yesterday for example was practically nothing. Today you saw one of my worst.” She finished tucking in the last pieces of her tunic. Rey got off of the bed and moved to the balcony. The sun was rising slowly, keeping its distance from the world for a few moments longer. Her nimble hands went to the railing. Ben followed her, coming to stand next to her. 

“I wish I could help you more,” He said. His hand drifted to hold onto her’s. “I love you so much. I love our child too, even if I can’t feel her yet. 

“I love you too, so much,” Rey said. Her head fell onto Ben’s chest, causing him to bring his hand into her hair. Soft motions through her locks. Her words were meaningful, but her voice was empty. Ben could sense it inside her. 

“Rey,” he whispered. “What’s wrong. You feel almost… sad?” He held her closer with each breath he took. 

“I’m sorry Ben, I’m not myself. Ever since I found out-or even when I started feeling it- the pregnancy I mean,” she stuttered, “I feel almost alien in my own body. What’s going to happen to me? I don’t know anything about pregnancy, much less being a mother!” By the end of her ranting, she was shouting. But Ben knew, basing off of the wetness on his shirt, that she wasn’t shouting in anger. 

“Oh, Cyar’ika… I can’t imagine what you feel. But if it’s any consolation, I don’t know anything about being a father. Neither of us know what we’re doing.” The way they were standing, Rey’s face was comfortably buried in Ben’s chest. Ben’s hands went to cup her face ever so gently. He didn’t say anything more. There was a little whisper of I love you, but other than that… he held her. It was all he knew how to do. 

Slowly his hands went to her hair, stroking softly. Early in their relationship, Ben learned that Rey loved having her hair done. And Ben loved doing Rey’s hair, so it was a simple trade. His fingers drifted to the top of her crown, starting a small braid that grew as it traveled down her hair. Rey didn’t speak a word, simply kept her arms around her husband. 

Ben looped the first braid around, tucking it in, then he moved to make another. 

“I love you so much, Rey. You have to remember, you're not alone anymore. You aren’t in the desert anymore. I am here to guide you through this.” He finished the braid and tucked it with the other one creating a beautiful braided crown. “There you are.” He pressed a kiss upon her forehead. 

“What’s this one,” Rey said. She wiped away some stray tears. 

“This is the Alderranian braid for mothers. Do you see how they come together at the back? That’s for the connection between mother and baby. When I was little, my mother would wear this all the time.” Like the sun behind them, Rey’s smile finally rose. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. Finally, she detached from him, keeping only their hands intertwined. 

“Why don’t we get something to eat,” Ben said. He let go of Rey’s hand in pursuit of the kitchen. 

\--

Four hours had passed with the afternoon now waxing the sky. The Solo family sat in the lake house’s study, Ben working on lesson plans while Rey searches the bookcases. 

“Do you think Padme would have had any pregnancy books?” She turned to Ben who looked up from the desk. 

“Well, I wouldn’t guess, as most of those volumes are of politics and law. I wouldn’t think there would be many. Doesn’t hurt to look through.” He returned to his work and Rey returned once again to the bookshelf. This was Padme’s personal study and no one really knew of all that resided in this ancient place. 

Her fingers ran alongside the spines. _Pursuits of Trade_ , _Nubian Monarchs_ , _Trials of Platentary Law._ Riveting stuff, Rey assumed. She squatted down to reach the bottom shelf. Her eyes read the spines of the books almost identical to the ones above but with slightly different titles. 

“It’s no wonder she was one of the greatest senators of her-” she paused when she felt that some of these book spines had no books behind them and they were… connected? Gently she pulled on this grouping and much to her surprise they all removed at once and behind them was a box of relatively medium size. 

She lifted the box’s cover and gasped when she saw the contents. 

“Ben! Come look at this!” She shouted. He got up from his seat and came to sit next to her on the floor. Rey picked up the first object, a book. And surprisingly it was exactly the book she was looking for.  _ Pregnancy _ was the only title it read, but she assumed that it would be helpful for her. Underneath was another book about children. But next to the books was where the real treasure lay. Pictures. 

“Do you think that’s…” Ben whispered. He reached over and clutched one of the pictures. It was of a young man, couldn’t be any older than his twenties. He was smiling, almost accentuating the scar that ran through his right eye. Ben felt this connection… something he’d never felt before. Rey also felt… something. 

“Read the back, see what it says.” Ben flipped the photo over and in messy, choppy, almost childlike handwriting it read, 

_ My darling,  _

_ All is well here. Obi-Wan and R2 say hi. While we were fighting I spotted some water lilies, thought of you. Should be home for your birthday. _

_ -Ani _

“Does that mean he’s your..” 

“Grandfather,” Ben's eyes widened as the photo danced to the ground. Rey picked up the stack of thin pieces, and she saw dozens of photos. Photos of Anakin and groups of men. In between the photos were letters written in the same writing from the back of the first picture. 

Once they had removed all the contents from the top Rey noticed there was still something at the bottom. Something white and lacey. She assumed a tablecloth but when she removed it she was quickly proven wrong. 

“Ben, look at this!” She held up what was revealed as a dress. “It must be what she was married in!” The dress was beautiful, one of the most beautiful pieces Rey had ever seen. 

“It’s hard for me to believe that they were real people once. Ever since I found out about it, he was always Vader to me. He was never Anakin. But now, I feel like I am really connected to him. He only became Vader because he wanted to save Padme, his wife. It’s almost poetic. He turned to the dark side because he loved her, and I turned to light because I love you.” Rey reached out and, just as Ben did earlier, she cupped his face in her hands. She slowly wiped a tear from his eyes. 

“And I’m so glad you do.”


	7. seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a little short, I've been quite busy lately. But hopefully, I'll be able to get content out quicker!
> 
> -lc

The next few days went by normally, or whatever normal is nowadays. Rey would get up, Ben would run after her. Rey would vomit, Ben would hold her hair. Rey would teach lessons to her students, Ben would teach his. 

The children, of course, didn’t know about Rey’s pregnancy and she was trying her best not to let it affect how she trained them. Today was a simple meditation lesson, but truly it was only simple on paper. Meditation was a hard skill to learn and Rey knew that firsthand. 

“Meditating with the force is a hard skill and it may take years to master. But that’s why we’re starting now, so you can start to gain this skill early.”   
  


“But Miss Rey! How will sitting around meditating teach us to fight like a Jedi!” A young boy shouted. Ben chuckled and stood to respond to him. 

“You see, being a Jedi isn’t about fighting. That’s why the old Jedi order failed. They were too focused on war and soldiers and not on peace. Using the force is about connection, not violence. So you see, we aren’t going to learn fighting. We’re going to learn to connect.” Rey looked into the young boy’s eyes and could see his understanding. He knew now, and they were ready to begin. 

\--

“You did so well with the children today,” Rey said on their walk home from school. “I’m so proud of how you’ve progressed with them.” Rey’s arm linked with his. 

“Well I can’t take all the credit dear,” he replied. Rey smiled back at him. There was a light in her eyes that only Ben noticed, similar to the new light in their bond. 

“We do make a good team, don’t we?” Rey said grinning ear to ear. Ben leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

“I wouldn’t have married you if we didn’t.” He smiled once again. Rey leaned in close to him and before they knew it they had arrived home. 

“Have you started reading Padme’s book yet?” Ben asked. Rey shook her head. 

“Was planning on starting tonight… maybe while my husband cooks something delicious for me?” She said slyly. Ben rolled his eyes and once again kissed Rey’s beautiful cheeks. 

“Of course dear, but you’ll have to tell me all about what you read. Remember, in this together!” He raised his fists in comedic patriotism. 

“You know it,” Rey replied. They were in the cottage style kitchen, the place where Ben loved to be most. It was the open space that had a nicely sized kitchen, breakfast table, and sitting area. Ben loved the room because he could be cooking and still gaze upon his wife, and Rey loved the room because of how the windows face out to the rolling Nubian hills. 

She opened the book after wiping off a thin sheet of dust. A short introduction opened the novel, clarifying that this book was only for humans and was not giving advice for other species. Rey flipped the page. The first chapter came, titled  _ How do I know? _ But Rey already knew so she skipped that section. 

“ _ Chapter One, your first trimester _ ,” Rey read aloud so as to relay the information onto her husband. “ _ Right now your baby is about two inches long and weighs less than half an ounce. Barely a speck of stardust inside the womb, but he or she is making their presence known. You may be feeling some nausea (especially in the mornings!)” _

“Some?!” Ben shouted from the stove. Rey chuckled, held up her hand, and continued reading. 

“ _ Don’t worry though as morning sickness only lasts for around two months _ ,” she read. Ben let out a sigh of relief. “ _ You may notice that your sense of smell has heightened. This is due to the surge of hormones in your body. Just remember that all of this is normal and even better will go away soon _ .” Ben turned around once Rey paused her reading. 

“This is already too complicated. Does it say anything about food in there?” He asked while he searched through the chiller. 

“Um…” she flipped through the pages, “Yes! Here it is,  _ Food and Food Sensitivities _ .” She started reading as Ben continued to listen. 

“ _ Food can be tricky during pregnancy _ … yeah yeah yeah everything is harder during pregnancy… Oh!-” Rey drifted from the words on the page until she reached what she was actually looking for. “There it is.  _ When pregnant there are some foods that are dangerous to eat. Try to avoid all kinds of fish but especially those that aren’t fully cooked as it may hurt the baby. _ ” As she read Ben looked down at the food on the counter, picked up one of the parcels, and returned it to the fridge. 

“ _ Similarly to the morning sickness you may be feeling, your body is also developing new relationships to familiar foods. Keep track of the different foods that you gain sensitivities to as some doctors will need all of this for recording…”  _ Her voice drifted off just as her eyes did. “What’s this,” she whispered under her breath as her fingers danced to the margins of the page. 

There, written with the lightest of pencil strokes were  _ her _ notes. Written first in flowy Aurebesh was:  _ never touching a tato again; _ next was,  _ tato is in, cabbage is out! _ Her face contorted as she realized who’s pen scratched these mutterings down. 

“Something wrong sweetheart?” Ben asked, staring her down from the kitchen. 

“No not at all,” she walked over to him, “look at this.” She put the book in front of him, pointing out the pencilings. His irises widened. 

“This is… This is my grandmother’s book,” he said. 

“It is,” Rey replied as her hand rubbed his forearm.

“She really wrote that, in her own hand. That’s- that’s really her. She’s right there.” He could barely fathom it. To him, Padme was something distant, a figment of the past. When The Empire rose to power all of the holo recordings of her speeches were destroyed. At the time everyone assumed it was to erase anti-empire sentiments, but Rey and Ben knew the real reason why Vader and Palpatine destroyed it all. 

“It makes it feel like she was real.” 

“She was.” 

\--

The sun was lower now and Rey had retreated to the garden where she was weeding aimlessly. Ben came up behind her, wrapping his long arms around her waist. His lips came to press a kiss on her cheek. 

“Did the book say when we could start telling people about our secret? We could take a trip down to Ajan Kloss and tell your friends - our friends.” Rey smiled and turned around to face him. 

“I read something that once the first trimester is over most of the risks go down so that’s when it recommended we start telling family- or well friends.” Ben nodded. 

“I wish… I wish I could see mom’s reaction to all this,” Ben said. Rey reached out and caressed him softly. 

“She knows, Ben, she knows.” Ben leaned into Rey’s shoulder, resting gently against her. When he detached from her embrace his hands went to her abdomen. 

“I know it’s early… but I can’t wait for our little one to be in my arms.” He cradled her still flat stomach. “You said that it would be twelve weeks until we can tell people. Do you know how far along you are?” 

“No, I don't. All the nurse told me was that I was pregnant. I think I have to go back for another appointment to know that. The book did say that morning sickness starts around one month so I’m guessing four weeks?” 

“I’ll count down the days. I’ll count down the hours-minutes-even seconds. I-I never thought I’d be able to love you more, but somehow our little stardust has made my love increase one hundredfold.” His hands reached to cup her face. His forehead fell against hers before they connected. 

“I love you, Ben Solo.” 


	8. eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this chapter a little longer for you all. Sorry for the wait, my brain decided it would be great to come up with a new fic idea. Don't worry thought! I'll still be working on this one.
> 
> Happy Holidays, love you all  
> -lc

Just like the wind and the tides, another week passed in their lives. Another week of mornings and evenings. Mornings where Ben would hold Rey’s hair and hold her until she could stand. Evenings where they sat in front of the fire and held each other; sometimes reading and sometimes writing new lessons, but they were always together. 

“Ben, dear, I’ve scheduled an appointment at the clinic. It’s in two days,” Rey said. Ben looked up from what he was writing and locked eyes with her. 

“Really? What’s the appointment for? Is something wrong?” He moved to sit next to her. Rey’s hands fell firmly on top of Ben’s. 

“Nothing is wrong dear, I’m fine. The book says that I should see a midwife for routine tests. The only test I’ve had is one with two lines and nothing more, it’s only right that I get everything checked.” Ben loosened up once she explained. 

“Of course, as long as I’m by your side I will be happy.” His lips met her cheek quickly. “Speaking of, aren’t we teaching together tomorrow?” Rey nodded.

“Yes, for only part of the day. All the students will be learning together… about Alderaan,” Rey’s voice softened as she reached the end of her sentence. 

“It’s okay. It’s just a history lesson like any other day,” Ben said. Deep down he wasn’t okay with this lesson compared to all the others. This one was different because of course, it was a lesson on Alderaan. A planet that no longer exists, and most of its people with it. Leia always told Ben stories about Alderaan, the beautiful forests and the shining waters. Even when he was at his darkest, longing to finish what his grandfather started he missed it. He wished that he could have seen Alderaan and call it his homeworld. 

“I suppose there’s no one better to teach the children than the Prince of Alderaan.” Ben rolled his eyes. 

“Rey I’ve told you this. I can’t be a prince if the planet doesn’t exist anymore,” he laughed. 

“You’ll always be a prince to me,” Rey said. Her hands raised up, cupping his cheeks and her lips smacked his for a moment in an almost cartoonish smooch. Without a word she got up and walked away, her gait filled to the brim with sass. Ben, still on the sofa, shouted out to her,

“I love you!” His voice, similar to his wife’s was also very sarcastic. And from the next room over he could hear her yell back,

“I know!” Her response emitted a hearty laugh from Ben. 

“Stars I love that woman,” he whispered to himself, spreading his arms out on the sofa. For a moment, only a moment, he let himself slip away. He faded from the present and the future came in shining colors. 

Rey, her stomach swollen standing on the balcony as the sun rose. She was wearing a white dress, flowing like the ones his mother used to wear. She held Ben’s hand. Her lips moved but he couldn’t hear the words spoken. The image fluttered away and was replaced by another.

Rey again, but this time her stomach wasn’t full. Instead her arms held onto a baby, her baby. The child was wrapped in cream colored linens. Ben looked upon the vision of his smiling wife feeding their newborn. He wished the picture was clearer, that he could see if his child was a boy or a girl, if they had Rey’s eyes and his ears. But that would all have to wait. 

“I’ve already waited long enough,” he said as his eyes readjusted to reality. Rey was gone, somewhere in another room. He rose from the couch in an attempt to find her. His search led him to the veranda where she was standing peacefully, lightsaber in hand. She looked down on it and swiftly ignited it, the yellow blade glowing like the afternoon sun. She had yet to notice Ben’s watchful stance, so he stayed there watching her. 

She gave the saber a few experimental waves before tightening her stance, planting her feet, and focusing her eyes on her invisible target. She swung with intense precision, the yellow blade falling with beautiful accuracy. 

The saber was extended ninety degrees from her body when she noticed him. She went from holding her blade firm and steady to retracting the light and dropping the hilt. 

“Ben! How long have you been standing there!?” She turned sharply to face the figure that had been leaning against a wall. Ben only smirked. 

“What are you doing out here all alone?” Ben asked. Rey squatted down and picked up her lightsaber, reattaching it to her belt. “If you’re going to spar, you should at least invite me,” he said sarcastically. 

“Just a way to destress me. The saber… it’s so focused, so solid. Sometimes I need that solidity in my life.” Her hands gesticulated around her face as she rambled on. Through their bond, Ben could almost see the conflicts within her. Ben came closer to her, threading his arm around her waist. He pulled her in and in an instant she broke. Her arms grasped at Ben’s chest, clawing for a grasp to hold on to. 

“Oh cyar’ika, tell me what’s troubling you, please,” Ben pleaded. She sobbed once before uttering,

“I’m scared. I’m so scared, Ben.” He soothed her as best he could, though positivity was never his strong suit. 

“Why are you scared, dear?” His hands caressed her back with each of his words. 

“All this… it’s all I’ve-we’ve ever wanted. Our baby, what if- what if I can’t do it? I read in the book that malnutrition in childhood can cause...difficulties. What if I can’t carry a child? I heard so many stories on Jakku of women who could never keep, what if I can’t keep? Ben I’m so scared,” she began to cry once more. 

“Oh sweetheart,” Ben didn’t address her fears, as this wasn’t the time for that. Now he only needed to give her love, comfort all her worries. “Sweetheart, it will all be okay, trust me please. This-” his hand went to her abdomen, “this is the greatest miracle to ever happen. Today I had a vision. It was brief but perfectly clear. I saw our future, Rey. I saw our child and he-or-she was perfectly healthy, both of you. Everything will be okay, I promise.” Rey relaxed, falling back to look into his eyes. 

“Really?” Ben’s stature placed him nearly a foot taller than his wife. He used his height to reach down and cup her right cheek with his hand. His forehead pressed against hers and slowly his lips came to hers. 

“Really. Now I think we have an appointment to get to.” They detached, Ben wiping another stray tear from his wife’s cheek. 

\--

Ben was glad that he was able to subside his wife’s fears before their appointment as he is very bad at empathy when it is in public. In the safety of his own home, he is the softest most comforting man in the galaxy. 

Their land speeder was parked outside the building and the Solo family had parked themselves in the waiting room. They started in separate chairs with their arms at their sides, but slowly Rey’s nervous hand slithered into Ben’s. And though his hand wasn’t shaking and his heart rate was steady, he was deadly nervous just as his wife was. He couldn’t show it for Rey’s sake, but he was just as afraid as she was. He knew the risks, he knew the dangers. 

A few nights ago, long after Rey fell asleep, Ben began reading Rey’s book. All of the passages written on the risks of pregnancy were imprinted in his mind. What if the baby was ectopic? What if she hemorrhages during the birth? What if the cervical lining is too thin?

“Ben and Rey? If you’d follow me,” a Twi’lek nurse said. The couple stood, still hand in hand and followed her back into an examination room. The room was similar to the one Rey was in but a week ago only larger and with more equipment. In the corner sat a sleek medscanner, starkly contrasting to the rustic feel of the old clinic. 

“Alright, now before we can begin I will need to take a medical history. I am led to believe that this is your first pregnancy, am i correct?” Rey nodded and the nurse recorded her response on her clipboard. “Do either of you have a family history of pregnancy complications?” 

“Well, uh, my grandmother died in childbirth. I don’t know if that counts for anything, but as far as I know her pregnancy was uncomplicated,” Ben said. The nurse recorded that down as well. 

“I don’t believe it will have any effect on Rey’s pregnancy. Speaking of Rey, do you know of any complications that your mother faced while carrying you? Preeclampsia perhaps?” Rey’s eyes fell as Ben’s hand moved nearer to her’s. 

“I never knew my mother. She died when I was a child.” From there the nurse’s eyes lost contact with her patient’s. 

“I’m very sorry. I suppose we’ll be okay without that information. We’ll proceed to the physical examination if you’d pop onto the table for me. Mr. Solo, I’d ask that you stay at her head please.” Rey sat on the examination table and the nurse (who Rey now believed to be a midwife) put a sheet over her knees. Just as she asked, Ben took a seat right next to Rey’s head. 

“I’m just going to begin by pressing on your tummy here.” The nurse spoke in simple terms and for Rey ‘didn’t see a doctor until she was 22’ Solo that was well appreciated. 

The midwife finished the physical examination rather quickly. Then she pulled the large MedScan over. 

“I’m going to use this machine to perform an ultrasound on your womb. It can give us pictures of what’s inside and if we’re lucky we can hear a heartbeat!” Rey looked to Ben whose eyes were soft as they gazed. “If you’d pull your tunic up for me,” the nurse continued. “This is a gel that I will put on your tum. Be warned as it is quite cold.” She took the tube of gel and spread a generous amount on Rey’s abdomen. 

Ben, the word flowed through their bond. Ben’s eyes perked up the moment he felt it 

What’s wrong love? He spoke back, completely silent to the outside world. 

Can you… can you hold my hand, I’m scared. Her hand dropped to her side in what seemed like a coincidence, but Ben knew that she was being tactical. His hand went out as well and in an instant he took her hand, rubbing the fingers in an attempt to soothe her. 

Don’t be scared, I’ll be here for you every step of the way. Rey nodded in response. Slowly, the midwife brought a probe to Rey’s stomach, beginning to rub it around the gel. Ben and Rey watched attentively as a black and white picture appeared on the screen. Inside the black abyss was a small pocket that had inside an even smaller dot. It almost resembled a snowman, something that only half of this marriage would recognize. 

“There it is, your baby. After seeing the scans and your dates, I would place you at nine weeks. And let’s see if we can hear a heartbeat,” she said, flipping a switch bringing a submerged sound into the room. Amongst the aimless noise, they could hear a beating, not unlike the one Rey heard in her meditation. 

“That...that’s our baby’s heartbeat?” Ben asked tearily. The midwife nodded with a smile. Ben’s lips came to his wife’s forehead and pressed a light kiss. “That’s our baby.” 

Of course Rey had questions, Ben had questions too. They had fears and needed reassurance but right now they were entranced. They were looking at their baby and no one can take this moment away.


	9. nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year!

Six months passed, since Rey first met with her midwife. Six months since she told them that Rey’s malnutrition wouldn’t be a major problem.  _ Technology has advanced so much. There is no need to worry about any complications as they are all manageable as long as we deliver here we’ll be safe.  _

So much has changed in the past six months, more than just Rey’s waistline. Their garden flourished in new places, bringing new herbs for the new season. 

The side room that once contained not much of anything at all has become a beautiful nursery. Months ago, Ben read in the pregnancy book that around month seven something called nursing instinct kicks in. At the time he thought this was some old wives tale, but later realized that this was all true. He is over the moon glad that he no longer deals with his wife's obsession over all things baby. 

Now she lays in bed, curled into her husband as best she can with her ever growing bump. Ben wakes before her, taking advantage of the time to gaze upon her. Rey, of course, believes that her condition has made her less beautiful. But Ben, as it seems is his job, reminds her continuously that she is as beautiful as the day he married her. She of course still denies it, just as she did when Ben first told her she was beautiful. 

His hand goes to her hair, pushing the strays aside. His lips press to each and every freckle dotting his wife’s face. Just as he gave a kiss to the freckle on her nose she stirred. Like a butterfly's wing, her eyes fluttered open. 

“Ben...what are you doing?” She asked in a groggy voice. 

“Stardust,” he whispered and continued his pursuit. She giggled and pulled his face away from her cheeks. 

“What?” 

“You’re face,” he gave a quick kiss to the space above her eyebrows before continuing, “is covered in stardust and angel kisses. I must relish in this ethereal feeling of my angel on my lips.” 

“Well if you’re going to kiss me you may as well do it where it counts,” Rey said, grabbing the back of Ben’s head, pulling him into a hearty kiss. 

“I love you,” Ben whispered like he was keeping a dark secret from the world. But he wasn’t, not anymore. Now he could live his life freely with his wife and soon his child. They don’t know yet the gender of their baby, but deep down they know it doesn’t matter.  _ As long as it's healthy and happy, I will be too _ . 

“Ben?” Rey said. 

“Yes love?”

“We haven’t chosen names yet, for the baby I mean,” she said nervously.

“You’re right. How should we do this? You choose a girl name and I choose a boy name?” 

“That sounds all right to me,” Rey replied. THen it sunk in, _I have no idea what to name my child._ _Ben probably knows what he’s going to pick right now and_ _I'm_ _sitting here drawing a blank._

Rey was wrong, Ben was equally clueless.  __ He knew very few children growing up and most names he could think of were attached to someone in his family. His first thought was naming his son Anakin after his grandfather but he decided against it. He spent the past ten years trying to become someone he’s not, and he would never bring that to his son. So he was left clueless. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve got nothing,” Ben said to the woman laying next to him. Rey chuckled and rolled so she and Ben were face to face. 

“I feel the same way,” she laughed.  _ Stars I love that laugh, _ Ben thought. 

“Why don’t we think about it? It is an important decision after all.” Rey smiled, agreeing with Ben’s idea. Suddenly she buried herself in her husband’s chest again. 

“Oh darling it all feels real now doesn’t it,” he whispered. She popped up from her resting place and smiled. 

“I suppose it is real now,” she said softly. A slender hand drifted to Rey’s bump. 

“Oh!” Ben yelped. Bey’s eyes widened in concern. 

“What?” 

“I could feel it kick!” Rey chuckled and brought his hand from her stomach to her lips. 

“Well, I’m certain then you would enjoy being in my shoes feeling it kick all hours of the day.” Ben sighed, giving a quick kiss to his wife’s forehead before muttering his least favorite phrase. 

“We should really get up, we have things to do today,” he sighed as he spoke the words. 

“I know,” Rey said. Ben was first to roll out of the Bed, quickly scooping Rey onto her feet. 

“Why don’t we head out in the garden for a little bit?” Ben asked. Rey smiled and, as best she could, ran to the dresser and grabbed a blouse and pair of overalls meant to fit over her swollen stomach. She threw on the garments along with her boots. 

“I’m ready!” She said with her arms open, now containing a watering pail and bucket that she had stashed by the balcony’s door. Ben came and took the water pail from her and they left to go out to their garden. 

Oh, Ben loved seeing it at this time of year, the trees changing colors and the wind beginning to blow. And now he could be excited for yet another reason, the arrival of his child. It would only be another six weeks, the thought of which brought equal amounts of panic and anticipation (which only resulted in more panic). 

At this time of year, the garden was dotted with every shade of pepper along with berries and cabbage to accompany. Rey immediately hobbled to the first plot to begin pulling the weeds surrounding the plants. Ben started watering as two months ago he decided that Rey carrying a full pail of water while pregnant was dangerous. Rey insisted that she was fine, but Ben was even more insistent. So she is left weeding while Ben performs her favorite task. 

“Ben, do you know what I’m imagining right now?” Rey asked as she pulled another weed from the dirt. 

“I’m afraid not, ever since the bond closed I can’t exactly read your thoughts,” he chuckled. 

“I’m thinking in about six months, we’re out here again. The spring plants are first beginning to bloom and right over there,” she pointed to an empty plot about two feet from where she was standing, “there’s a blanket where our baby is sitting. They’re watching us and laughing and babbling their first words.” Rey finds herself smiling giddily in another world. She didn’t even notice Ben approach her, remove his gardening gloves, and circle his hand around her waist. She didn’t notice until of course he whispered in her ear,

“I can’t wait. If only time could pass faster.” Rey gasped when she felt his breath in her ear. 

“Ben!” She turned, finding herself in his arms and her eyes only going to his lips… 

“Rey...” Ben said before taking her, right there in the grass. 

\--

_ “Ah yes… She is just what we need. The power of her bloodline… it’s almost enough to raise the order from its ashes.” The man wore a black cloak, covering his entire body. His voice was rasped as if smoke thickened his throat. He stood over what looked like a box, one that he was caressing lightly. Next to him his companion spoke, she on the other hand was a woman.  _

_ “I agree, I can feel the force flowing from her. So young… so untrained… so raw.” Just as the one before, her voice was different but not something that Ben could put his finger on.  _

_ A hand outstretched, pale and grey with long fingernails. Her fingers curled, and Ben could see inside the mysterious box. A baby lay inside, asleep calmly. He screamed and thrashed, but he could not move and he could not speak. The grey fingers grasped the infant’s face, piercing the skin for but a moment. The woman, cloaked in red brought her hand to her mouth.  _

_ “Yes, the blood of a true sith.  _

_ \-- _

Ben awoke to Rey shaking him, she said he was screaming. He didn’t tell her, he only cried into her shoulder. He repeated his thoughts in his mind,  _ this can’t be real, remember the last vision _ .  _ Everything will be okay _

_ right? _


	10. ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things are changing and ben is closing up. can Rey reach him before their child arrives?

\

Ben’s vision handicapped him for days. He could not think of anything else, not even in his meditations or when he lay with his wife at night. He’d yet to tell her the contents of his vision, only telling her that he had a nightmare. Rey wanted, no, she burned to know what troubled him, what kept him awake at night. But she couldn’t press further, there was nothing else to ask. 

She sat in the study alone, hand stitching a small white gown. It felt that with each stitch the child inside her kicked. After she tired of feeling the incessant pounding, she stopped and put her hand on her stomach. 

“You must be a dancer, darling. But mama needs her rest, and that means you must calm. I-I don’t know how to calm you though. I don’t know very many lullabies, I must remember the ones I know.” Her hand moved to her temple as if it would aid her memory. She began to sing, rubbing her swollen abdomen. 

“I do not know you, but you are my friend. I cannot see you, but my love never ends. I long for the day that we will meet when I will see your eyes so sweet… my child.” Her last words were breathless and unsung. The kicking stopped and for the first time, she felt her child’s force signature. A melody unlike any other. A burning flame of two colors. 

“H á nna?” She whispered down to her stomach. “I believe we have found your name, sweet one.” Rey smiled to herself. “And I believe we have also beat your father on that one.”

\--

“Ben! There you are,” Rey said. Ben looked up from the workbench that he was leaning on. Rey had been searching the entire house looking for him and of course the last place she looked was the cold workshop, and that is exactly where she found Ben, tinkering with his lightsaber. 

“Do you need something, dear?” He turned around to face her. That’s when she finally noticed his exhaustion. The bags under his eyes, the slump in his stance, and his sigh. 

“Oh, Ben. Why haven’t you come to me,” she soothed. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Don’t lie to me, I can see it in your eyes. You haven’t been sleeping. Please, tell me what’s troubling you.” She reached out and caressed his arm lightly. 

“I can’t. I don't want you to feel this pain.” 

“I feel it when I look in your eyes. I see  _ your  _ pain and I need you to talk to me. Please.” Her last words were nothing but a breath, a plea. 

“Four nights ago I saw something, in my dream-my vision. I saw our baby, and she was perfect. Many months ago I had a different vision, a happy one but this was so different. Our baby was asleep and there were two people above them. One, the woman, said that she had the blood of a sith. She-” his voice choked, “she hurt her and then- then they took her. Right from the crib.” He broke, shattered completely. 

“Oh darling. It’s just a dream. We can’t let our dreams control us.” She brought him in and held him close. She continued reassuring him that everything would be okay, when really she was scared. This wasn’t just a dream and she knew it. All she wanted was this baby, Hanna. She knew her, she could  _ feel _ her. She will fight to keep her safe. 

Quickly her voice changed from calm to assured. “We’ll keep our baby safe, there’s nothing that will stop us.” Ben nodded. 

“On a happier note, I think I’ve found a name for our little one,” she said and to her surprise, Ben smiled. 

“You have? I think I’ve picked one as well though I’m pretty sure it’s a girl,” he laughed. Rey beamed back at him. 

“Me too. How about we share the names, you first,” Rey said, her beaming smile still glowing. 

“Well I thought that if he were a boy we could name him Jacen. Jacen Solo has a nice ring to it I think. And what have you picked?” For the moment he smiled, for the moment he pushed his worries away. 

“I thought about it quite a bit. This morning I was sitting and for the first time I could feel her force signature. I’m sure if you try you can feel it too. I’ve chosen the name Hanna, it just feels right.” Ben’s hands reached out and held Rey’s. 

  
“I believe Hanna is a perfect name.” He kissed her tenderly on the lips. From there he dropped to his knees. It hurt of course as the workshop’s floors were hard tile, but he didn’t care. His hands flew to Rey’s bump. 

“I will protect you. I will never fail you, Hanna.” He lifted Rey’s tunic barely an inch to press his lips to where his child sat inside. 

“You, Ben Solo, could never fail our child. No matter what your family or Snoke did to you, you can be better. You-no- We will overcome any obstacle that comes our way. If some rogue sith lord tries to kidnap our child we will be right there waiting. It’s their mistake if they try to mess with us. Remember, we’re the two that took down the Supreme Leader and the Praetorian Guards, all by ourselves!” 

“Need to mention that we almost got killed doing it?” He murmured, coming back to his feet. 

“But we didn’t, and that’s what counts!” She laughed, patting Ben’s cheek lovingly. He chuckled. 

“Why don’t you show me the nursery, I’m assuming you’ve finished it.” 

“Of course I have,” she took his hand and drug him upstairs and into the baby’s new room. 

“Here it is!” She spun around and put her arms out almost as if she were saying ‘ta da!’ 

Ben was in awe.  _ Rey did all of this? _ At the front of the room was a window facing the lake and right in front of the window was the crib. It shocked him for a moment when he realized that in just a few weeks his baby would be sleeping in this crib. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d moved to be right next to the wooden bed. His hand reached forward to run against the bar that will soon keep an unruly toddler enclosed. 

“Where did you get this?” Ben asked in total awe. 

“I’d been exploring all the nooks and crannies of this place and I found the pieces to this crib. It may have been made for your...mother,” she said. Her tone changed from energetic to somber quickly. 

“It’s okay, Rey. There’s no need to mourn those long gone. I’d rather appreciate your handiwork and how you built a crib without me knowing!” He started moving around, beginning to explore the rest of the room. He saw the dresser that was slowly being filled with clothing that Rey either purchased or created. Slowly he turned to face the adjacent wall and there he saw nearly a dozen photo frames with a few already filled. In one, the ultrasound pictures that they received from the midwife and another a photo taken when they visited Ajan Kloss and their friends from the resistance. Rey’s bump was protruding and each of their friends Finn, Poe, and Kaydel had their hands on it. 

The last of the pictures were the ones that surprised Ben the most. He recognized them instantly as his drawings. 

“Rey…” his voice drifted. One was a pencil drawing of a tiny baby curled in on itself, surrounded by light. Underneath in his writing it read  _ Stardust _ . “Where did you get these?” He was truly astonished. His art was the one secret he kept from everyone. He never even showed Rey his sketchbooks. But somehow, somehow she found them. 

“A woman has her ways… of finding her husband’s secret talents. Seriously Ben these are amazing. I would have never thought you could create something like this.” She moved to stand next to Ben and the drawings. She pointed to one on the far left, her favorite by far. A relatively small sketch drawn from a quarter side view of a woman. She’s holding a child to her breast, her hair is down, and it doesn’t take long to realize that the mother in the picture is Rey. 

“Yeah, I really liked making this one…” Ben drifted, staring at the drawing. “It’s what I saw…. It’s what I saw in my vision.” Rey stood rigid, staring at the image in front of her.  _ Is this really my future? _ Her thought was deep, so deep that she didn’t notice her husband standing behind her. She only felt him when his arms snaked around her waist. She gasped. 

“Ben,” she whispered. “Is this real? Is this going to be our future? It all feels distant, even if it’s only a month away. I can hardly fathom all this-” she waved to the room around her- “not even five years ago I was a scavenger barely staying alive. I was a slave spending my nights in the wreckage of an Imperial Walker. Five years ago I was crying out for my family to come back. But now…. I have a family. I don’t need to wait around for _ my _ parents to show up, because I know they won’t. I don’t-I don’t need them. I have you, Ben, and our baby… she has us. We’ll never leave her. She’s safe, she’s safe.” Her hands were on her stomach now, seeing the tears falling onto her hands. 

Ben turned her to face him. “I love you,” he whispered. It felt cheesy, but it was all he could think to say. “I love you more than anything. You are my everything, Rey. Five years ago I was broken, I was hurting. But then I met you. You saved me, Rey. This baby-” he touched Rey’s bump, “this baby is going to have the greatest mother. I know it.” Slowly his lips came to her forehead. He whispered into her ear, “I know it.” 

They spent the rest of the day together, working on lesson plans and folding the laundry. If they hadn’t realized before that they needed each other, they surely did now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one isn’t as great, i only know how to write one kind of angst haha. Don’t worry if updates are more scattered, I am b u s y. Love you all x -lc


	11. eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ben insists that Rey should sit down as you know she's nine months pregnant. Rey refuses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Sorry, it took a little bit longer to get out, i am the definition of busy at the moment. anyways enjoy!  
> -lc

“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy? Like sitting down? Putting your feet up perhaps?” Ben asked as he looked on to his wife. She was on her knees, pulling weeds from the planter boxes. It should be noted that bending over became an extra challenge due to her bump which had become even bigger. She looked up and shot him a death glance before returning her focus to the weeds. 

“Rey, darling, please remember what the midwife said. And the books! Rey, you should be sitting down.” She sighed again. 

“Ben, I’m fine. This-” she motioned to her knees and their position- “counts as sitting.  _ And _ not to mention that I still have three weeks to go. This baby-” she pats her stomach- “is staying put.” Ben’s eyes didn’t roll, instead, they were full of concern. His emotion even penetrated the bond a few times which, in all truth, annoyed Rey to Kessel and back. 

“I’ll make a deal with you. I  _ won’t  _ walk to the market. I’ll stay here, kneeling and performing mundane tasks. You can walk the mile and perform the grueling task of collecting the groceries. I even made a list, it’s on the kitchen counter.” Once she finished speaking, Ben stopped, his face lay still. He considered the offer for a good minute. 

“Fine, just don’t do anything intense. I know you read the book. I’m watching you.” He moved his fingers from facing his eyes to hers, which were now rolling sarcastically. 

“I’ll. Be. Fine. Now go, baby wants some meiloorun” She smiled and Ben returned it. 

“Alright, I love you. And you too.” He kissed Rey’s forehead then gave her stomach a little tap. From there he left, taking off to the market to fulfill Rey’s lengthy grocery list. Rey kept gardening. 

Finally with Ben gone, she could water. Of course, Rey loved being pregnant and loved being pregnant with Ben’s child, but he was indeed very protective. For weeks now he hasn’t let her water the plants and when she did, he stood over her shoulder watching her every move. Now she was all on her own, sweet bliss. 

She filled the watering can with ease, and moving it around was no harder. All the people that thought she couldn’t lift while pregnant obviously didn’t see her carrying hundreds of pounds of scrap through the scorching deserts. 

“Oops!” she felt some of the water hit her leg. “You are making me too clumsy, ruining my image.” She poked the spot on her tummy where the baby always kicked back. She didn’t this time. “Yeah, that’s what you get.” She chuckled and continued watering for the remaining 10 minutes. 

Once she was done, Rey stripped out of her dirty clothes, put on new ones, and flopped down on the couch. Just like Unkarr Plot used to say,  _ don’t let others see your weakness _ . Sometimes his voice was still heard, making her distant from her own husband. But this time she was actually exhausted. 

Later on they’ll ponder why it happened like this. Why she didn’t feel anything for so long. Rey will think that it’s the force and Ben will think that all the time she spent on Jakku gave her the world’s most insane pain resistance. 

But she did feel it. Though dull, she knew something was amiss. This wasn’t how a person is supposed to feel, right? Suddenly she recalled something the midwife had said about cold water. What the water was supposed to fix, Rey did not know. But this seemed the right time to drink a ‘nice glass of cold water’ as her nurse says. 

She hobbled over to the kitchen where another one of the baby’s ferocious kicks hit her straight in the back. Rey just assumed that as the baby grew, she became even feistier. She wasn’t technically wrong. 

\--

“Hello, I’m looking for some Meiloorun. Do you sell that here?” Ben asked a kind shopkeeper. The man only chuckled. 

“If you think you can get some meiloorun at this market you are sorely mistaken sir. It may grow here, but it ain’ sold round these parts. High byers, high byers.” Ben assumed that this farmer was just particularly strange. 

“Are you sure you don’t have just one? My wife, Rey, is very pregnant and she just wants some meiloorun.” If it is not already obvious, Ben is getting desperate. 

“I’m really sorry sir, I don’t have any. Maybe you could find one of the other vendors. None of them sell it, but they may have some you could trade for. Congratulations on the baby by the way. Have you and your lady picked a name out?” Ben grinned and replied. 

“We’re pretty sure it’s a girl. We’re going to call her Hanna.” His smile didn’t falter. The shopkeeper’s lips began to curl as well. 

“That’s beautiful. I’m sure you’ll be a fine father. You know what, lemme go inside and see if i’ve got any meiloorun, let you take it home to your wife.” The man turned, abandoning his booth to go inside the small house behind him. Ben’s mind tingled. 

“Rey?” He whispered. He hasn’t felt this feeling in a while, but he recognizes it in a pinch. She was reaching out. 

“Ben!” A single shout from Rey’s lips penetrated Ben’s mind. 

“Rey what’s wrong?” He said, silent to the outside world. 

“Darling.. Please. Something’s wrong,” she whimpered. Ben reached out in an attempt to feel her pain. 

“Rey, you’re in labor. You need to come to the clinic.” 

“I can’t… I can’t walk that far.” Stars, Ben wished that he could just touch her. Cup her cheek and kiss her forehead to let her know that everything will be okay. 

“No you can’t. Can you take the speeder?” He sensed another twinge of pain inside Rey. 

“I’ll try. I love you.” The bond cut off abruptly. His knees buckled and he dropped to the ground. He ran without getting his fruit. 

\--

Two swollen feet ran out of the house, hobbling onto a land speeder. Rey’s thoughts were fast, but her contractions were still slow.  _ If I go now i may make it before the next one starts.  _ While walking to the clinic took twenty minutes, taking the speeder cut that to a little more than 5. Her last pain had just ended, so her clock is ticking. She threw her leg over the side of the speeder and started it. The engine whirred to life. 

“You better stay in there,” she said pointing to her belly. Her hands twisted the accelerator, sending her and the speeder shooting forward at high speed. Now the scenery of the Nubian rivers passed in a blur of color. 

Her breathing intensified, her heart pounding. She couldn’t tell if it was the labor pain or the absolute terror she was feeling. Quickly she was reminded of what her midwife told her at her first appointment,  _ everything will be okay. This clinic is staffed with some of the best medical equipment around. As long as you’re here, you’re safe _ . But she wasn’t there, she was hovering above a stone road, two miles from the next living creature. Still she tried her hardest to keep her worries out of her mind. She’s a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. 

Slowly, oh so slowly, the horizon transformed to show the small town in the distance. The small building approached, letting Rey slow the speeder down to a halt. 

“Ben!” She shouted at the sight of her husband standing awkwardly outside of the clinic. He ran to the speeder, scooping Rey’s form into his arms. 

“Darling I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you.” He ran inside with her in his arms. 

“Over here!” It was her midwife, she was shouting. Rey couldn’t see what was happening. Suddenly she clenched onto Ben’s shirt collar. He looked down at her, tears brimming and knuckles white. 

“She’s having a contraction. Hurry and get her in here so we can examine her.” At her word Ben continued running, despite Rey’s cries. Ben’s fingers went to her sweat-matted hair. 

“Shh… it’s going to be okay. I’m here now. I’m here now.” They reached the delivery room, one similar to the regular examination room but larger. Ben laid his wife down on the bed. The midwife reappeared in Rey’s line of sight, now wearing a white garment and sterile gloves. 

“Alright dear, we’re here now. It’s going to be okay. Breathe with me.” She raised her arms up and down in time with her breathing. Rey tried her best to follow along. Soon the pain eased and breathing became easy again. 

“It hurts. Ben it hurts,” she pleaded. He took her hand, kissing her knuckles gently. 

“I know baby, I know it hurts,” he murmured. While Ben was busy comforting and Rey was busy crying, their midwife had pulled two metal stirrups out from the foot of the bed. 

“Rey, sweetheart, we need to get your legs up here and see how long we’ve got.” She then assisted Rey in moving her feet into the stirrups. Ben averted his eyes once the midwife began examining. Rey squeezed his hand, bringing his focus back to her. 

“It looks like you’re eight centimeters dilated. You don’t have long until we start pushing. We just need to get through these next contractions. One should be coming soon, just remember your breathing.” 

“Did you hear that? We’re almost there. We’re almost there.” At this point it was hard to tell whether he was comforting Rey or himself. She took a deep breath and looked into her husband’s concerned eyes. 

“Okay. I’m ready.” 

\--

Twenty minutes later she was pushing. Not only was she pushing but also screaming like a sand person being chased by a tie fighter. Ben was- well he was pretty useless at this point. For the past nine months he had been imagining this moment. He imagined holding Rey’s hand, instructing her breathing, and guiding her through this. But alas, he is terrified. Watching his wife scream in pain as her contractions grew nearer and nearer brought him still. The midwife on the other hand, was focused in. No amount of fear could take her down. 

“Okay Rey, you are doing great! Just a few more minutes and baby Hanna will be here!” Rey sobbed, the pain becoming too great. 

“Hey, hey, look at me,” the midwife said, “the head is descending. We are really almost there. Think about your baby, your little girl, she’s almost here. Take a little rest here, then three more pushes.” Ben’s hand came over, taking Rey’s. It’s still unclear if it was for Rey’s comfort or Ben’s. 

Slowly, Rey’s eyes cleared, her gaze stiffened. She gave a look of determination that Ben had not seen since Exegol. Rey and her midwife nodded in silent agreement. The contraction began, bringing a crescendo of screams. Somewhere in the cacophony of sounds, Ben could hear the midwife exclaiming she could see the head. Rey took one deep breath and as she exhaled she began pushing again. Ben gained enough confidence to finally take a peek. He regretted what he saw instantly. How a human being can squeeze another human being out of itself amazes even a jedi. 

Rey’s screams reached a new height. Ben whispered mindless encouragement, as he understood that nothing he said would reach her in this state. 

“One more push!” Objects began to hover around the room as Rey continued screaming. A sharp shrie. Then silence. And then a sound only this second brought into the world.

A cry. A first breath. A shed tear from an overjoyed parent. 

“Hanna,” Rey’s first breath came as a gasp, one in the sound of the baby’s name. 

To Ben, the screams were silent. He saw one thing only, his girl. He didn’t even hear their midwife exclaiming that their superstition was correct. 

“Rey… you did it,” Ben whispered. His lips quickly came unto his wife’s. He didn’t care that she was sweaty or that her legs were open in the least sexy way possible. He didn’t care. This was his wife and she has just performed the greatest miracle Ben has ever witnessed. Before they could have a second thought, a tiny bundle was put onto Rey’s chest. 

“Got her all cleaned up for you,” the midwife said as she handed the child unto her mother. To Rey, her voice was distant. There was only thing she could focus on and she lay in her arms at this very moment. For so long, she has carried this inside her. For months she’s imagined what this child would look like and what it would feel like to hold her. Now… it’s all here. Everything she’s dreamed of is a reality and everything that worried her was gone. 

“Hello Hanna, I’m your mother. Over there is your father. I know we’ve just met- or well I guess we’ve known each other for a while but…” She took a deep breath, instinctively wisping one of Hanna’s brown curls with her finger. “I know you’ve just gotten here, but we love you so much.” Ben’s large hand came to cup Hanna’s small cheek. 

It could have been their bond in the force, or simply the awe of the moment but at that moment Rey and Ben Solo had the same exact thought.

  
_ She is perfect in every single way _ .


End file.
